How to Paint Your Own Teacups

Written by joy uyeno

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By painting your own designs, you will give new life to old teacups. (teacup image by Valentin Mosichev from Fotolia.com)

Once upon a time, women felt it was important to own a particular style or brand of teacup. Today, however, teacups come in a variety of colours and shapes, and guests are more likely to comment on whimsical, individualistic designs than specific china lines. Give your teacups a makeover by customising them with words, illustrations, patterns or numbers of your own choosing by using glass paint. Painting teacups is a simple way to make your teacups statement pieces, whether you're keeping them on display or serving your favourite tea in them.

Skill level:

Easy

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Things you need

Sketch pad or paper

Glass paint

Paint brushes

Paper towels

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Instructions

1

Wash your teacups well with a mild detergent and warm water, getting rid of any dust or stickers. Anything you paint over will be permanently once you paint let it dry. Ensure your surface is squeaky clean.

2

Sketch your ideas on paper. By designing on paper, you can play with different colour schemes and patterns before making it permanent on the teacup.

3

Paint the design on your teacup freehand, working off your sketch. The paint will dry quickly, so wipe away any mistakes quickly with a damp paper towel. Paint light lines first, and go over them again to make them darker. Dilute thick paint with water for lighter tones.

4

Let the paint dry for 24 hours. To set the design, heat your teacup in the oven according to the glass paint instructions. Once the teacup is done baking, let it cool completely on a cooling rack. It is now safe for hand washing and the dishwasher.

Tips and warnings

Use smaller paintbrushes for detailed designs, and larger paintbrushes for broad paint washing, such as backgrounds. To prevent the teacup from breaking, put it in the oven before turning on the oven.